About the Book:

Enter the Body offers a series of provocative case studies of the work women's bodies do on Shakespeare's intensely body-conscious stage. Ideal for literature, theatre and gender studies courses.

Author and scholar Carol Chillington Rutter looks at sex, death, race, gender, culture, politics, and the excessive performative body that exceeds the playtext it inhabits. As well as drawing upon vital primary documents from Shakespeare's day, Rutter offers close readings of women's performance's on stage and film in Britian today, from Peggy Ashcroft's (white) Cleopatra and Whoopi Goldberg's (whiteface) African Queen to Sally Dexter's languorous Helen and Alan Howard's raver 'Queen' of Troy. Zoe Wanaker, Imogen Stubbs, Jean Simmons, Helana Bonham-Carter, Janet Suzman, Kate Winslet, and Claire Benedict put in stunning appearances in this timely and theatrically sophisticated study.

What people say:

"Enter the Body is a levely, compelling book, elegantly conceived and lucidly written. A dazzling performance." — Barbara Hodgdon, Drake University

"The strongest parts of Rutter's book include descriptions of Shakespearean productions from various decades ... When Enter the Body focuses on ideas like these, it excels and excites the imagination." — American Theatre

About the Author:

Carol Chillington Rutter is is Professor of English at the University of Warwick. Her main teaching and research areas lie in Shakespeare and performance studies. She has published many essays and is author of numerous books, including Enter the Body: Women and Representation on Shakespeare's Stage.